Tribe celebrates land return

By David Montgomery
Capital Journal staff
Published/Last Modified on Monday, Mar 08, 2010 - 01:36:17 am CST

FORT THOMPSON — Crow Creek tribal chairman Brandon Sazue had no need for a microphone as he strode in front of the crowd gathered at the tribe’s headquarters Saturday.

“Woo hoo! Woo hoo!” Sazue yelled. “We got our land back!”

Sazue and members of the Crow Creek tribe were celebrating a settlement reached last month with the Internal Revenue Service, opening the way for the tribe to regain 7,112 acres seized and sold by the IRS in December.

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The tribe had owed $3.12 million to the IRS due to not paying employment taxes on tribal employees for several years. The land sale had brought in $2.58 million.

Now Sazue said the IRS has forgiven the remainder of the tax debt. Meanwhile, the tribe will take out a $3 million loan from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux in Minnesota to repurchase the land.

“It’s ours,” Sazue said Saturday. “They’re not taking it. It’ll never be for sale — not ever.”

Two dozen Crow Creek tribal members joined Sazue and several visiting Shakopee Mdewakanton members for an event that was part celebration and part campaign rally for Sazue, who is up for reelection this month.

“I was scared we were going to lose it,” said Marcella Dion, of Fort Thompson. “But praise the Lord, we got the land back.”

“I’m so happy,” said Menia Mann, a tribal elder who is Sazue’s grandmother. “I want to thank the Shakopee tribe for stepping up.”

Crow Creek tribal members had fought the land seizure, with the tribe filing a lawsuit and Sazue camping out on the land in his trailer this December in protest.

As part of the settlement with the IRS, the tribe agreed to drop its lawsuit.

The land in question was 17 percent of the reservation. Sazue said the tribe had leased the land to a local farmer and had hopes to build wind turbines there in the future.

After repurchasing the land, Sazue said the tribe will have around $600,000 remaining from the Shakopee loan. He said the tribe will use that money for economic development.

Tribal members said the loss of the land would have been devastating.

“Our reservation keeps shrinking and shrinking in land size,” Dion said. “If that was gone and we lost it, we’d really be in a hurt for land.”

While he was camping out on the disputed land in December, Sazue said he never imagined the tribe would come to a positive resolution.

“It’s a miracle,” Sazue said. “There’s no words to describe it.”

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Comments

14 comment(s)

Sinking Ship wrote on Mar 22, 2010 7:03 AM:

" Its no wonder there was only a dozen people celebrating the CC Tribe securing a debt load of $3,000,000. Their ship was sinking and they were unable to make deposits to the IRS for payroll taxes. But now they will still be required to deposit payroll taxes AND make payments on the land debt.

As for the headline about celebrating the return of the land.... their land wasn't returned it was purchased. If I let my car get reposessed then buy it back was my car returned?? "

sigh wrote on Mar 20, 2010 1:23 PM:

" It would have been nice if Mr. Sazue would have removed all of the garbage that he left behind when he moved his camper trailer off of the land he was camping in protest on. I wonder how long the torn up signs, tore up tent, and the rest of the garbage will stay there? "

Throwing the Flag wrote on Mar 19, 2010 1:42 PM:

" I'm going throw the BS falg on this one.

The claim they didn't lose their land because of money owed to the IRS would be BS. They did lose their land. They bought it back. Does this guy know that a mortgage is easier to forclose on than having the IRS sieze it? I'l bet if the Tribe isn't willing to pay payroll taxes then they won't be willing to pay payments. What will we hear next, the the Shakopee Tribe took our land? The money they owed wasn't even theirs it was their employees money they kept. "

falcon wrote on Mar 19, 2010 9:38 AM:

" I missed something here. How did the tribe make big here? The government siezed the land and sold it for 2.58M. The tribe debt to the government was 3M. Now the government has forgiven the debt but the tribe must purchase the land back. Sounds like the government only forgave the remaining 420,000 because the government did not repurchase the land and give it back to the tribe. The tribe still must repurchase land that was theirs before this incident for 2.5M dollars with money received on loan from another tribe. "

Wow wrote on Mar 19, 2010 7:55 AM:

" Looks like Batman saved the day....They still have $600,000 and yet half a million in taxes was forgiven? Better just use that money to start paying back your loan, I bet this isn't the last of this story! Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux in Minnesota are the real winners here, if they get their money back..... "

Joy wrote on Mar 10, 2010 7:43 PM:

" Good for them!! Our government has never honored any treaties! How about going after all the illegal immigrants! Help the Indians instead of screwing them! "

to HOKA wrote on Mar 9, 2010 10:26 AM:

" Did they (the tribe) or did they not owe employee taxes? Did they or did they not pay them? Should tribal employees not have to pay taxes? I, H4m9G, am not uneducated. I did ask whether we were getting the whole story. The way the story reads in the journal it makes it sound like they got away without paying taxes they should have. I am a taxpayer and a teacher...so technically I work for the government... should I not have to pay taxes? "

robinu wrote on Mar 8, 2010 10:27 PM:

" Land is not for sale.....but its ok to take out a loan, put the tribe in HUGE debt, to Purchase Land that is for Sale? "

tribal member wrote on Mar 8, 2010 10:11 PM:

" WOW!!! A miracle and he never thought it would come to a positive resolution. Easy come, easy go. I applaud Chairman Sazue but he is still working with the rest of the tribal council who will most likely use much of that extra $600,000 to buy votes and line their own pockets. "

n8tivewia wrote on Mar 8, 2010 10:06 PM:

" Where is the logic with Brandon to lead the CC Tribe to borrow from Shakopee, $3 million to purchase back the land which was sold to repay $3.12 Million debt to IRS (which it sold for $2.58million and the remainder $.5million forgiven). How does this make sense? The tribe will be back where it started from; $3 Million in Debt plus Interest. Its no wonder they remain in debt, apparently He can't do math? "

RW wrote on Mar 8, 2010 8:34 PM:

" I agree with j Hess, where is everyone? "

HOKA wrote on Mar 8, 2010 10:56 AM:

" Outstanding CCST about time Indians stick it to the government instead of of the Government sticking it to not just Indians but everyone. This is a good thing for just not natives but everyone who has to deal with the IRS. And to H4m9G, I think you had better do some more research before making such an uneducated comment. This is a little bit of a different animal than a business not paying taxes. Besided how can the Gov tax its own funds? The US Govt doesn't pay taxes is that against the law? "

H4m9G wrote on Mar 8, 2010 8:11 AM:

" Gosh.. It sure would be nice if we all could break the law and be rewarded for it. Explain to me how the tribe doesn't pay their taxes and it gets forgiven? Are we missing part of the story? I am sure there are lots of struggling employers/employees right now who would like that deal. "

j Hess wrote on Mar 8, 2010 6:58 AM:

" Looking at the picture, shows that the people of the Crow Creek Sioux tribe did not care. The gym should of been standing room only. Very Sad! "

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